Walls are very important when it comes to partitioning a house. They define the living spaces in a house and ensure that the house is adequately utilized. An interior wall is good for offering privacy in places such as bathrooms, bedrooms, directing foot traffic, and ensuring that your floor has a plan. A wall also helps to secure the home’s foundation.
There are many ways that one can build a functional wall in their house. You can either build the wall with the rest of the house structure or build the interior walls separately and install them later. You can build a wooden wall whereby you construct a wall frame and stand it up. You can also build a wall in a room and frame it from down up to the ceiling.
Now, other than drywall and other forms of wooden walls, it is possible to build a wall by the use of materials such as concrete, metal sheets, and so on. How you install your interior wall will determine its durability and how stable it will be. In this article, I shall take you through several tips that can help you in installing interior walls.
Here are 5 tips for installing interior walls:
1. Partition walls Vs load-bearing walls
You need to be aware of the kind of interior walls you want to install. Some are load-bearing such that they carry the weight of the structure above. Then there are partition interior walls that do not bear any weight at all. With partition walls, these can be built almost anywhere in the house.
2. Consider the height of the wall
You should be aware of the height of the ceiling so that it can guide you to make the interior walls. The height of standard ceilings is 8 feet from the floor up to the ceiling drywall. Therefore, when you make all the measurements as you construct the partition wall, the final height of the interior walls should roughly be close to 8 feet.
3. Wall thickness
This is another important factor that should be considered. Normally, two by four wall studs should be 3 1/2 inches wide while interior walls will typically have ½ inch drywalls that are installed on both sides. This brings the total wall thickness to 41/2 inches. One of the things to consider is the thickness of the walls that will contain plumbing. These need to be thicker than the standard walls.
4. Wall construction methods
Consider the manner of constructing the wall. Walls will usually be framed lying down, after which the builder will stand the unit. He can then attach it to the adjoining walls and floor. The wall consists of a wall studs, a top plate, and a bottom plate. A tie plate, which is a second top plate, is installed after all the walls have been installed up.
5. Tools and Supplies
When installing an interior wall, you need to take precise measurements to ensure that you have quality walls. Therefore, you will require the right tools and supplies for this purpose. You will need a framing square, a measuring tape, a chalk line, nails, laser level, a plumb bob to help align the top ceiling plate, and so on. Ensure that you have all the tools in place before you start installing your interior walls.
